Case for storage batteries



Sept. 21, 1937.

A. M. UPTON CASE FOR sT9RAet: $ATwEnIEs I Filed se p. '17. .1955

EIELL,

Patented Sept. 21, 1937 FATE Nl series cAsE roR STORAGE BATTERIES AlbertM. Upton, Oakland, Calif. 1

Application September 17, 1935, SerialNo. 40,911

1 Claim. (01. 40-22) This invention relates to the cases used in storagebatteries and particularly to the formation thereof, which permits disksbearing labels, or other identifying insignia, to be inserted in asurface of the case, and when said disks are inserted they will conformto the contour of the surface and appear as an integral part of thecase.

It is an object of the invention to, provide a standard case for storagebatteries, to which may be applied any of the identifying insignia ofthe various distributors, which will render unnecessary the stocking bythe manu facturer, of a great number and variety of cases whichpermanently carry the insignia.

Another object of the invention is to provide an insert label for thepurpose stated above, which will maintain its shape and position on thebattery case indefinitely.

Still another object of the invention is to provide means for adhesivelysecuring the inserts in the battery cases which will permit ifnecessary, the ready removal of the insert from the case.

The invention possesses other valuable objects and features ofadvantage, some of which, together with the foregoing, will bespecifically set forth in the detailed description of the inventionwhich follows; however it is to be understood that the invention is notto be limited to the particular species thereof shown and describedherein, as various other embodiments thereof may be employed within thescope of the appended claim. I

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a battery case in which the labelinsert is adapted to be used. A fragment'of the insert is shown in therecess.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of the battery case.The plane of section is indicated by the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the reverse side of the label insert.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the obverse side of the label insert.

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view, similar to Figure 2, showing thelabel insert in place in the recess.

, Most of the cases for storage batteries in use at the present timeareof the molded type composed of hard rubber, or another like substance,and usually bear the trade name or other insignia, of the batterymanufacturer, this label being permanently molded into the wall of thecase during the manufacture thereof.

Most manufacturers, particularly the smaller ones, follow the practiceof placing the name or trade-mark of the dealer who orders the batterieson the cases thereof as this is good sales policy and serves todirect'the user of the battery, when the latter is in needof servicingor repairs, to the dealer from Whom the battery was originallypurchased.

Either of twomethods may be employed in so marking the battery cases. Inthe first instance, the mold, in which "the cases are formed, may besupplied with removable inserts, each carrying the various names orinsignia so that the cases, when completed, will carry the lettering ormarkings, inscribed on the inserts, perrna nently molded therein. Theother method is to provide in the completed case, a flat surface towhich paper or metallic labels, or decalcomania transfers, may beattached.

Manufacturers who employ the first of these methods must obviously carrya considerable stock of cases on hand in order to be prepared to supplyproperly marked batteries to the dealers upon demand of the latter. Thismeans that considerable of the manufacturers capital is tied up, and inthe event of failure of a. particular dealer, or due to fickleness onthe latters part in placing orders for batteries elsewhere, themanufacturer finds himself with cases on hand which he cannot disposeof, consequently he must face a loss.

The second of these methods, while not requiring that the manufacturerstock a large number of cases, does not satisfy the dealer, since theattached paper or decalcomania label, does not make as impressive anappearance as the lettering molded directly into the case andfurthermore the label is, due to its nature, quite liable to becomescarred or disfigured in handling of the battery. Another undesirablefeature in connection with the adhesively applied labels, is thatmoisture, to which the battery may be subjected while in use, will causeseparation of the label from the case and thereby strip the battery ofready means of identifying its manufacturer, and rob the dealer of theadvertising which the label afforded him.

It was to overcome these difiiculties that the battery case of thepresent invention was developed, the detailed description thereof beinghere given. In Figure 1 is shown a standard molded battery case 6 havinga front wall I in the surface of which is provided a preferably circularrecess 8. Into this recess may be placed the label insert 9, shown inFigures 3 and 4. This insert comprises a disk l0, molded preferably ofhard rubber, provided with a peripheral rim II, a central annular rib l2and a plurality of radially disposed ribs l3 joining the rib l2 and therim II. The other side of the disk ID, as is shown in Figure 4, may beprovided with lettering l4 molded thereon.

The method of applying the label insert may be understood upon referenceto Figure 5, the exact steps being first, to apply to the upper surfaceof the ribs ll, 12 and I3, an adhesive l5, which may be any of the wellknown types of bituminous or resin base cements, and then pressing theinsert into the recess 8 so as to cause the cement on the ribs tocontact the bottom surface of the recess and securely attach the insertto the case.

In the event that it is desired to permanently attach the insert to thecase, the cement used may be of the type containing a rubber solvent, orone which will soften temporarily the material of the case and insert,so that the contacting surfaces will be permanently bonded together uponsolidification of the softened material.

The reason for the preference in the use of a bituminous or resinouscement is to provide for easy removal of the label insert when desired.In a great many instances batteries that have been ruined due to plateWarpage, separator breakdown or other causes, are found to possess casesthat are in excellent condition and if they are of the typeincorporating the principles of this invention, may be salvaged andrelabeled for sale as light service or emergency batteries. Thisrelabeling may be accomplished by the application of local heat to theinsert to soften the cement whereupon the old insert may be removed andreplaced with a new one.

The purpose of the ribs ll, l2 and I3 of the insert is not only toprovide for adhesion of the insert in the recess with the use of aminimum amount of cement, but also to reinforce the disk ID, sincemolded hard rubber is notorious for warping when exposed to sunlight andthe elements unless it is properly braced against such warpage.

It will be apparent that battery manufacturers who use the battery caseand insert of this invention are enabled to carry a considerable stockof cases on hand, since they have a definite resale value, being devoidof any markings, and if the manufacturer found himself overstocked theycould be disposed of to other manufacturers.

The only pieces which would have no value other than to the dealers orcustomers whose names or insignia they carry, are the inserts and thesemay be produced so economically that as stated above, should thecustomer go out of business or decide to purchase his batterieselsewhere, the loss incurred to the manufacturer by such action would bevery small.

What is claimed is:

A case for storage batteries having a recess in the surface of a wallthereof and a disk having lettering on a surface thereof, disposed insaid recess, said disk having a peripheral rim provided with a surfacespaced from the surface of said disk and a plurality of radiallyextending ribs each having a surface lying in the plane of the surfaceof said peripheral rim, said disk being cemented into said recess withsaid cement being disposed only between the surfaces of said ribs andsaid peripheral rim and the bottom of said recess.

ALBERT M. UPTON.

